Seminar Paper Virinder Singh Bhatia Impact of Environment on Agricultural Sector

World is very much facing environment related problems. Everyone is concerned about the increasing heat of earth planet. In India, a big majority of people is actually ignorant about environment issues. There is a great need to spread awareness regarding pollution among the masses. There is great need to save earth for the mankind. The projected rise in global temperature could be cut in half in coming years if world governments focused on reducing emission of two harmful pollutants black carbon and ground level ozone, including methane rather than co2 alone 2. According to a report, 9 of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since the beginning of 2001. The earth has been warming in fits and starts for decades, and a large majority of climatologists are of the opinion that humans are releasing heat-trapping gases like Co2 in the atmosphere. The co2 level has increased about 40% since the industrial revolution. The climate is continuing to show the influence of green-house gasses 3. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has also reported that agriculture is responsible for over a quarter of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Environment change and agriculture are interrelated processes. Global warming has significant effects on agriculture. The overall effect of climate change on agriculture will depend upon the balance of these effects. Because weather is still a key factor in agricultural productivity. There is every chance that yields are likely to fall for even small climate changes. This induced by increasing greenhouse gases is likely to affect crops differently from region to region. Rapid climate change, however, could harm agriculture in many countries, especially those that are already suffering from rather poor soil and climate conditions, because there is less time for optimum natural selection and adaption. Increasing temperature on the earth has made significant impact in the agro sector and economy of the country. A close look at the contents of print media reveals the effects of climate change. Environment has made significant effects on human health, rainfall, water resources, rising sea level, crops, habitats and flora and fauna. A report from the Inter-government Panel on climate change (IPCC) and few other global studies suggest that prospects of 10 to 40 percent losses in crop production in India by the end of 21st century will be resulting from increase in temperature. Studies carried out at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) suggests that one degree rise in temperature results in 4-5 million tones lose of wheat production 4. It is a fact that duration of crop growth cycles are related to temperature. An increase in temperature will speed up development. In the case of an annual crop, the duration between sowing land harvesting will shorten between one and Mridul Hazarika, director of the Tea Research Association, said that temperatures have risen two degree in Assam in the past eight decades. This has lead to a short fall

in production of Assam tea 5. Now scientists are analyzing temperature statistics to determine links between temperature rise and tea yields. Debakanta Handique a climate scientist in Assam is of the view that clearly climate change is bound to have major impact on tea industry 6. It is true that climate change is affecting the cultivation of Assam tea with rising temperature and reducing yields and altering the distinctive flavor of Assam tea. Climate Change Science Assessment Report has predicted increase in overall rainfall but lesser number of rainy days. This variation of rainfall pattern will mean that Indias main agriculture states such as Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, parts of U.P., Bihar and Orissa will face more severe droughts. The report prepared by Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment (INCCA) shows that import on agriculture could be huge, fall in rice and maize production between 5 to 20% an in certain areas such as coast of Andhra Pradesh by up to 35% 7. Further, it is stated that global warming may rob basmati of its fragrance and not grow long enough, are the views of H. Pathak, principal investigator of Indian Agricultural Research Institutes climate challenge program. Pathak further stated that IARI has been receiving complaints from farmers about a sudden warming damaging to rice crops 8. Global warming is going to hit rice and wheat yields. Wheat yield in 2050 will be reduced by 30% and rice yield will be 15%. These views were expressed in a conference on preparing agriculture for climate change at Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana 9. According to Daniel Hillel, Professor Emeritus, Columbia University, Third part of the total population of the world is already hungry. The way the environment is being degraded for vested interests, the number will be doubled in coming years 10. So there is emergent need to protect the environment. It is also a truth that small and marginal farmers from across Rajisthan giving their testimonies at public hearing on climate change feared that they would be the worst suffers of global warming manifesting itself through unusual trends such as erratic rainfall, shrinking forest cover, rising temperature and increasing food insecurity 11. Professor Cristina Tirado, University of California, Los Angeles said at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) that in 2020, the UN has projected that we will have 50 million environment refugees due to food storages sparked by climate change 12. FAO has also warned that 2011 may witness a global food crisis, proactive action is needed to meet the challenge of price volatility, chronic hunger, agrarian despair and climate change 13. Human beings may be partially to blame for the increasing intensity of rain and snow storms according to climate study report. Human-induced rise in green house gasses has been directly linked to intensify of extreme rain and snow 14. According to Prodipto Ghosh, a member of the Prime Ministers Council of Climate Change that Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh will face serious challenges due to climate change including scarcity of water resources and power supply. He expressed his views in a seminar on Climate, Carbon & Copenhagen organized by the Society of Science & Technology in India at Punjab University, Chandigarh. The region shall face problems of fresh water from November to June as well as increased pressure on electricity demand due to high temperature in summer, which could also mean a possible increase in

incidence of malaria, dengue and so on 15. Report of planning commission, U.N. report on Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity says that impact of environment degradation on GDP globally ranges between 3% to 5%. India loses about 2% of its GDP because of damage to environment, US loses about 4% and Europe 1.7%. Cost of biodiversity and ecosystem damage expected by 2050. If the current rate of deforestation continues until 2050, the world would lose $4.5 trillion a year in natural capital. India has 17% of the worlds population but just 1% of its forest and 4% of water. 1.5 million hectares of forest land diverted since 1980 for development projects. 47% of people displaced by these projects belong to tribal communities. Half of Indias poor line in tribal area which are also home to 70% of the nations mineral wealth 16. Similarly, as we see that global warming has hit JKs Bakerwal tribe forcing them to migrate unseasonably early. Chaudhary Zafar Khatana, a Kashmiri nomad, global warming is a reality he faces everyday. His tribe traditionally wanders the region in search of good pasture for its flock. This year has been particularly tough. Khatana says that unusually warm March meant he lost nearly half his newborn livestock. Problem of water and folder shortage has forced the five lakh Bakarwals to migrate early for the first time in 29 years 17. Govt. report says that by 2030, the average temperature in India will rise by 1.7 to 2.2 degree C and extreme temperature by 1.4 degree C in comparison to the 1970s. The 7500 km coastline will face its own problems with sea levels along the coast rising at the rate of 1.3 mm/year and the intensity of cyclones expected to increase though the frequency would reduce. Severe droughts will see a moderate to extreme increase in the Himalayan region and floods will intensify by 10-30% in all the regions of the country 21. Shiv Kumar in his article entitled Meltdown Maladies, says that the melting Himalayan glaciers are throwing the Ladakhi economy out of gear. Climate change is causing an adverse impact on the lives of people in Ladakh, Indias highest district 22. The depletion of o zone layer in the stratosphere allows the ultraviolet rays of the sun to reach the earth exposing mankind, flora and fauna to its harmful effects. According to the world Health Organization each year between 2-3 million skin cancers are detected worldwide and up to 20% of these may be cause by sun exposure 23. It is seen that oceans absorb about 25% of the world s green house gases pumped into the atmosphere from human activities each year. UN report at the Copenhagen talk that by 2010, 70% of cold water corals a key refuge and feeding ground for commercially popular fish that also are food for the seals and others will be exposed to the harmful effects. Ocean acidity could increase 150% by 2050. This dramatic increase is 100 times faster than any change in acidity over the last 20 million years 24. The impact of environment has several commonalities. The UN panel report found that climate change is expected to exacerbate existing stresses on water resources stemming from

population growth, economic and land use change 25. Further it is said that climate change itself accelerates climate change. As the climate heats up, rainforest tree fall and burry, releasing the carbon locked up in them. In turn, accelerate warming further 26. It is also a fact that climate change brings unforeseen bugs. Because these tiny bugs are leaving their natural habitat 27. Climate change has made serious effects on agricultural production. S. Manjit Singh Kang, Vice Chancellor, Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana has stated in a article that there is a possibility of 30% decrease of maize production by 2030 in South Africa and 10% decrease in production of rice, barley and maize in South Asia due to green house effect 29. Although print media is trying to make a attempt to aware the people regarding the impact of rising temperature of earth, but it is not enough. There should be a policy of print media regarding environmental issues. Enough space is required for this particular issue in the newspapers. A space of full page be provided for environment on the pattern of business or sports page. Because the awareness of climate change is must for the masses. Special attention should be paid for this problem so that everybody should aware of environment of the earth. Today, editorials, special articles, features and interviews are required to be published regularly. This is the need of the hour. As we see that almost only environment news are published whenever a major climate summit takes place. This cannot be justified as the environment issues is one of the major issues of the world. There are special pages for film updates, business, sports etc., published in the newspapers. There are films, current affairs, political, and business magazine published in India but there is no environment magazine publish in India. This is not a healthy sign regarding environment. As we see, only 9 editorials, 37 articles, 9 interviews, 2 letters to the editor, 7 photographs, 2 cartoons, 3 book reviews and 27 reports regarding environment issues published in various national newspapers. Rest things are the news stories which are published in the newspapers for the last one year. This number is much lower as a reader expects more from various media houses. Agricultural technologies and harnessing them to enable developing countries to adapt their agricultural systems to changing climate will require innovations in policy and institutions as well. In this context , institutions and policies are important at multiple scales. In this regards, print media may motivate well as it is competent to aware and awaken its readers. Only if readers are aware of a particular issue than the motive of a newspaper is fulfilled. As a result one may say that if earth is safe then mankind is also safe.

References:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, October 20, 2010. Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, November 26, 2011. Hindustan Time, Chandigarh, January 14, 2011. Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, February 08, 2011 Times of India, Chandigarh, January 01, 2011. Hindu, Delhi, December 29, 2010. Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, November 17, 2010. Times of India, Chandigarh, January 31, 2011. The Tribune, Chandigarh, February 07, 2011. The Tribune, Chandigarh, February, 07, 2011. Hindu, Delhi, December 29, 2010. Times of India, Chandigarh, February 24, 2011. Hindu, Delhi, December 20, 2010. Times of India, December 20, 2010.

15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31.

Times of India, February 20, 2011. Hindu, Delhi, February 08, 2010. Hindustan Times, November 14, 2010. Times of India, Chandigarh, April 25, 2010. Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, February 01, 2010. Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, July 20, 2010. Times of India, Chandigarh, January 11, 2011. Times of India, Chandigarh, November 18, 2010. The Tribune, Chandigarh, December 06, 2009. Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, September 17, 2010. Indian Express, Chandigarh, December 20, 2009. Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, August 25, 2010. Indian Express, Chandigarh, December 20, 2009. Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, August 23, 2010. The Tribune, Chandigarh, March 31, 2010. Punjabi Tribune, Chandigarh, March 17, 2011. Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, November 29, 2010.

On October 19, 2010, India launched National Green Tribunal, a special court to look into all environment issues, replacing the existing environment appellate authority. Former Supreme Court judge Lokeswar Singh Panta became the first chairperson of the tribunal having four regional benches to function in the circuit mode. The tribunal will have 20 members who are experts in environmental sciences and will have the power to issue directions on the cases related to pollution. Union Environmental Minister Jairam Ramesh has said that anybody and everybody can approach the tribunal to claim civil damages arising out of inadequate implementations of environment laws 1.

According to a report, that the potential loss of coastal lands and farmlands, we forget these islands and that their smaller size makes it even likelier that they will be drowned out as sea levels rise 18. Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, Chandigarh (SASE) says that between 1984 and 2008 the mean temperature over the western Himalayas has increased by 2 degree C. 19. Study carried out by American and Canadian scientists, published in Nature Geo-science that Himalayan glaciers are likely to shrink by 10% by 2100. And Alpine glaciers may shrink by about 75% by the end of this century. Melting of ice sheets in the Arctic regions of Canada and Russia Alaska, northern Norway and Antarctica are likely to contribute most to the rise in global sea level of an estimated 12 cm by 2100, 20. Prof. Andreas Muenchow of the University of Delaware has stated that a giant sheet of ice measuring 260 sq km has broken off a glacier in Greenland. The block of ice separated from the Petermann Glacier on the north-west coast of Greenland. It is the largest Arctic iceberg to calve since 1962. The photograph of the glacier is published in Hindustan Times, Chandigarh dated August 8, 2010.

According to a study conducted by PGI, Chandigarh in 2002-04 that air pollution causes 200 premature deaths annually in Ludhiana. This study relies on the data collected by the Punjab Pollution control Board that showed an annual average of Residual Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) levels in the city exceeding the national standards by almost five times. As per the WHO figures, standard level of RSPM is 56 Microgram/cum but in Ludhiana, it was 225 microgram/cum in 2002-04, which perhaps have gone higher by now 28. The need of the hour is that the development benefits that India can capture with a welldesigned low carbon strategy include energy security cleaner air in cities and better waste management. We celebrate earth hour on the last Saturday of March but almost 300 million people in India dont have access to electricity. For them every hour is earth hour 30.

Annually Progress Report (01-04-2011 to 31-03-2012)

Virinder Singh Bhatia

Topic : Environmental Issues And Media: A Critical Study Of Leading National English Dailies.
Following tasks were undertaken towards pursuing Ph.D in Journalism & Mass Communication, Punjabi University, Patiala in the last year.

Collection of Data
In the last year ending 31st March, 2011, I have collected relevant material from the concerned national newspapers for further research. Related material such as magazines and books etc. are being consulted. For this purpose, visited to libraries to go through the required information. Data collected so for is being analyzed.

Analyse of Data
It is a fact that print media is trying to make a attempt to aware the people regarding the impact of environment of earth planet. But these attempts are not enough. There should be a policy of print media regarding environmental issues. Enough space is required for this particular

issue in the newspapers. A space of full page be provided for environment on the pattern of business or sports page. Because the awareness of climate change is must for the masses. Special attention should be paid for this problem so that everybody should aware of environment of the earth. Today, editorials, special articles, features and interviews are urgently required to be published regularly. This is the need of the hour. As we see that almost only environment news are published whenever a major climate summit takes place. This cannot be justified as the environment issues is one of the major issues of the world. There are special pages for film updates, business, sports, current affairs magazines in the newspapers. But there is no environment magazine publish in India. This is not a healthy sign regarding environment. As we see, only 9 editorials, 37 articles, 9 interviews, 2 letters to the editor, 7 photographs, 2 cartoons, 3 book reviews and 27 reports regarding environment issues published in various national newspapers. Rest things are the news stories which are published in the newspapers for the last one year. This number is much lower as a reader expects more from various media houses. The main motive of any newspaper is to aware and awaken its readers from any issue facing the universe. Only if readers are aware of a particular issue than the motive of a newspaper is fulfilled. As a result one may say that if earth is safe then mankind is also safe.

(Supervisor)

(Researcher)